Like what I wrote on my last article about my experience of Thai Cuisine cooking lesson at the Blue Elephant in Bangkok, I’m going to show you the recipe and some photos of that experience. Let me start with my favorite of all Thai dishes, Tom Yum Goong. It is the first Thai food I eat when I am in Thailand, and I tell you after the first sip, I feel like I am in heaven.

I will let Wikipedia to explain more about this very tasting soup, “Tom yum is a name for two similar soups originating from Laos and Thailand, respectively. Tom yum is characterized by its distinct hot and sour flavors, with fragrant herbs generously used. The basic broth is made of stock and fresh ingredients such as lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lime juice, fish sauce and crushed chili peppers.

Tom yum is usually made with prawns (tom yum goong), chicken (tom yum gai), fish (tom yum pa in Lao and tom yum pla in Thai), or mixed seafood (tom yum talay or tom yum po taek) and mushrooms – usually straw mushrooms or oyster mushrooms. The soup is often topped with generous sprinkling of fresh chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves.

You will notice that some of the main ingredients have links to Wikipedia, the reason for that is to guide or show you how that specific ingredient looks like or when can you get it.

Okay, here is the recipe of the first Thai food that we cooked at the Blue Elephant. Please note that this recipe is for one serving only. If you need to cook for several people just multiply the amount of the ingredients (except for the chilies).

Ingredients (For 1 Serving)
- 5 small pieces of Bird’s eye chilies (crushed or smashed)
- 1 stem of coriander root (crushed or smashed)
- 1 cup (250 grams) of chicken stock (or prawn stock)
- 4 slices of galangal (thinly sliced)
- 1 stem of lemongrass (crushed and cut)
- 1 leaf of kaffir lime leaf (Shredded or torn)
- 2 pieces of small straw mushrooms (quartered cut)
- 4 pieces of prawns (shelled, deveined and headless but with tail attached)

Seasoning:
- 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon of lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon of Thai Roast Chili Paste (Nam Prik Phaow)
- 1/2 teaspoon of sugar

For garnishing:  Coriander leaves

Cooking instruction:
1. In a saucepan, add chicken stock and bring it to a boil.
2. Add the galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, and coriander roots.
3. Add the mushrooms, prawns, fish sauce, sugar and Thai Roast Chili paste.
4. Turn the heat off. Add the crushed chilies and lime juice.
5. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Voila! You can now serve it in an individual soup bowls.

And now, here are some photos of the cooking lesson.